updated 11:50 am EDT, Mon May 17, 2010

Harman and Nokia would send GPS, data to cars

Harman and Nokia this morning said they were developing a standard for passing data between a smartphone and a car's info or entertainment system. The technique would send data, GPS info and media to the car but would uniquely let the car system send information back. A phone could find the closest gas station when the fuel or oil gauges run low; the car's own GPS could ask for information from the phone to get hotel booking info.

It would also play into the Advanced Driver Assistance System and could give context-sensitive safety warnings, such as an upcoming hairpin turn or whether or not it's safe to pass a vehicle blocking the view up ahead. For Nokia, the integration could be used to mirror the phone's screen on the much larger in-car display and would allow car-specific Symbian apps.

Most devices would connect through USB, but Bluetooth could be used at the expense of more frequent updates or battery life.

Despite Nokia's involvement, the two partners are creating the technology as a device-independent standard that others could use. Neither would say when they expected the format to reach production cars.